Packing Cabin Baggage For Kids
Recently, someone asked me what we pack into our hand luggage when flying with kids. Specifically, what happened was my father hoisted our bag into the car at the airport, exclaiming, “Heavens above! What have you got in here?” and as a blogger I’m going to run with it.
Here you’ll find, as requested, a full summary of the stuff I keep handy for flights (car trips, long-distance trains and buses, etc) WITH BONUS TIPS on how we pack it and what we pack it in, which I’m sure were my father’s next questions.
What We Pack
For Babies
- Nappy bag with one change of nappies/clothes plus wipes, nappy cream, nappy disposal bags
- Spare nappies, clothes, wipes, etc
- Warm layer of clothing – footed, long-sleeved onsie, singlet, beanie or hood, grobag, wrap (it can get cold on those planes)
- Sling or carrier
- A few baby toys or books
- Formula or baby food (if using)
- Feeding equipment – bibs, spoons, bottles (if using)
- Plastic bags for wet/soiled clothes or rubbish
Optional:
- Infant capsule – a car seat is always safer, but you’ll need to buy an extra ticket for kids under two
- Nursing/breastfeeding shawl
- Infant panadol – in a small container to meet airline restrictions (usually less than 100ml)
- Spare change of clothes for adults (in case of some horribly stinky accident) – with thanks to Joanne of House By The Water for this one.
This baby is too cute, so we can’t show you his face on the internet (as he tells us).
For Toddlers
- Nappy bag with one change of clothes, plus a change of nappy if still using
- Spare clothes (spare nappies, wipes, etc)
- Warm layer of clothing – socks, long-sleeved trousers, long-sleeved shirt, singlet
- Cuddle toy
- Lots of entertainment options. Just go crazy on that one. Go bark raving insane.
- Travel snacks
- Feeding equipment – bibs, spoons, water or milk bottles, snack catcher
- Booster seat (if own seat) for safety, and to help reach the seat-back in-flight entertainment system
- Plastic bags for wet/soiled clothes or rubbish
Optional:
- Carrier
- Headphones (or use this travel hack)
- Flight safety harness – some parents use these for toddlers as an alternative to car seats
- Walking harness – for navigating through the airport without losing or killing anyone
- EarPlane thingies so they don’t get sore ears from the pressure (has anyone tried these?)
- Infant panadol – in a small container to meet airline restrictions (usually less than 100ml)
- Spare change of clothes for adults (in case of some horribly stinky accident)
I’m not sure that Æ’s praying for strength in this photo, but I’m not sure he isn’t, either.
For Kids
- Warm clothes
- Snacks and water bottle
- Entertainment
- Plastic bags for rubbish
Optional:
- Cuddle toy
- Booster seat
- That outfit great grandma sent you and wants to see on them at the arrivals hall (change into it in the baggage claim hall and not beforehand)
For Flying With Siblings
- Invisible magic anti-rivalry dust
- Invisible magic anti-egging-each-other-on dust
This is the invisible magic dust we use. Also pictured: the effect it seems to have.
For Adults
- Passports and other travel documents
- Purse/wallet (with local currency if applicable)
- Pen (for filling out immigration cards and so on)
- Phone (switched to airplane mode) with kids’ apps or guide book apps
- Water bottle
- That book you always wanted to read. Haha. No, I’m kidding. You don’t get anything else.
How We Pack Everything
- I make an emergency kit, which can be easily located and separated at boarding, and is small enough to be stored under my seat or the seat in front. Emergency supplies: water/milk bottle, snacks, wipes, plastic rubbish bags, and one emergency change for the toilet (a nappy with wipes or spare underpants).
- I make sure I can easily locate the cuddle toy upon boarding. Heaven help me if I can’t locate the cuddle toy.
- I put everything else in categories, then put each category in a separate waterproof ziplock or plastic bag. The waterproof bit is important. It is. This stuff goes in the overhead lockers.
What We Pack Everything Into
- We usually use an adult-sized backpack and/or a child-manageable pull-along suitcase. This helps keep our hands free (or theirs occupied).
- Our most popular choices are our trunki boostapak, which doubles as a booster seat once in the air, and our trunki pull-along suitcase, which doubles as a stroller through the airport and a footrest in the air.
Booster seat. Stroller alternative. Cuddle toy. Baggage.
Related:
- Our master packing list. Includes most of the above plus our checked luggage.
- Teaching kids to pack. (Update: this actually seemed to work a bit, in that 6yo P was able to pack his clothes independently for this trip! Alternatively, what worked was forgetting to pack him underpants for Thailand, and shorts for Pulau Sibu.)
Did I miss something vital? That happens from time to time. Although as we’ve learnt this year, some things (shorts, underpants) aren’t as vital as they first appear. Not your things, though, I’m sure. Your things should definitely go on the list.
Disclaimer: The only compensation I’m getting for this post is the smug sense of self-satisfaction that comes from dispensing one’s unsolicited advice.
Great list you are so much more organised than we are. We try to travel light but mostly that is an excuse for me not being bothered to organize properly. The older two just pack their toys, snuggles and books into a carry on they pretty much entertain themselves on the plane and have from age 2 and 4, probably the novelty of being able to watch whatever they want on the entertainment system as we usually restrict screen time.
For the baby I have pram (to gate) then carrier, enough bottles, formula powder and food (I have a spoon that screws on to food pouches which cuts down on mess until they can eat normal meals without dropping bits) to last travel time x2 for delays, a muslin and wet wipes to wipe up spills, 2x the amount of nappies incase of delays, a snuggle and that is it. Long hall I pack our portable cold water sterilizer and a tin of formula in case of mega delays. I never bother with spare clothes unless it is by accident, ie I did not have space for that item in my packed luggage or I will be travelling between different climates so need an alternative outfit. If the worst came to the worst I would use an airplane blanket as a sarong for me, or a muslin for the baby until we get somewhere we can buy a tshirt or scarf. I buy nappy cream at the airport if I need it.
Our top tip – the kids usually sit with my husband – if they sit with me I am just doing my job as a mother and no one bats an eyelid. If they sit with him he gets mega cool points for being a Dad looking after his kids and everyone falls over themselves to help him. He gets the extra space on the row as the kids don’t take up much and he scoffs their spare food, I get to read my book and sleep, win win. Having the older two (8 and 6) to help has been a big revelation, they are so handy at keeping an eye on things, entertaining the baby or pushing trolleys. I am not sure how I managed to raise them without the help of older siblings.
Not all roses though as they do bicker from time to time and have been guilty of running into people on their trunkies (by accident), I think I need some of that dust, inspired idea.
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How is it that Dads can get away with stuff Mums can’t? Like any of those people even know who the primary care giver is in your household (or mine).
I am definitely using that one as part of my argument for getting my husband to take the kids on the next flight without me.
Thanks for your list – always good to have a few perspectives.
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This is indeed very useful for travelers who want to bring their kids along. 🙂
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I can’t get by without my lists 🙂
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Same here!
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iPads are our most essential item! Toys have been a waste of time for us. The kids are never interested in them, so I have stopped travelling with them in carry on where that is possible. They are more interested in everything around them. My mum has actually bought them carry on animal cases for our next trip which can be pulled along or ridden on at the airport. I am interested to see how they work out. That Trunki looks very cool.
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It can be hard to get good time-value for weight with the toys (and if you happen to get lucky with one idea – try repeating it! Pfft – they’ve moved on by next trip). I still find it handy to have a couple of things up my sleeve, but yes.
Good luck with the suitcases! The only warning I did hear was that some kids will (accidentally/on purpose) run into people with them. We haven’t had that problem but something to watch out for. We do have to veto a few of their stunts with it 🙂
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Lol yeah I can already see them running into each other and some fights erupting. Luckily, they are too shy to run into strangers (famous last words no doubt)
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Haha. Well don’t suggest it to them. We’ve really loved our pull-along at airports. Very excited for your trip, though! Coming up fast now!
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I’d add an extra shirt for a parent. We were coming back from Menorca, Spain in 2006 with my then 11 month old son. He vomited over both him and me on descent. It wasn’t fun and I didn’t have a spare shirt.
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I’ve got spare adult change of clothes under babies and toddlers now (thanks to Joanne). Would you put it in the other sections as well? We’ve had relatively few accidents with our older once recently. Maybe a spilled orange juice which needs to be rinsed or something but nothing too dodgy! But of course if they’re sick and they don’t realise in time…
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I am also loving this invisible anti dust. If you find some for toddler tantrums, I will buy it immediately. And thank you so much for linking to toddler snacks. When traveling, I pack more snacks than clothes. Am always scouring the internets for new snack ideas. As a new mom, I had never heard of a trunki boostapak, thank you for that one! Brilliant.
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I have some of that – I’ll put it in the mail in an invisible envelope for you. You can forward the payment to my paypal 😉
The snack ideas are so handy to have (and you can’t have too many). I’ve pinned a few posts on this from others as well:
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(Oh cool! I didn’t know it would show up as a widget like that! Is that how you do that?)
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Sounds like you have thought of everything! What a great Post!
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Really? Everything? That never happens. (Unless with the benefit of hindsight 🙂 )
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Useful to have a list in advance of travel. The wild card is the “cabin luggage police” who are not always consistent in what they will allow on board in different countries.
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Oh yes. True. Size of bag, for one thing, then there’s weight considerations… then the items themselves. And you know even if it’s allowed it’s sometimes worth having a copy of the rules. I know one woman whose baby formula was denied boarding (rules about liquids). Of course, it was all rubbish, but it didn’t stop every single person on board that flight from having a screaming, horrible time.
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Laughing— and glad I am a grandparent. We always have enough on our own. But I have empathized with my daughter when I’ve watched her unpack. 🙂 —Curt
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Apparently it gets worse again once you get to Great Grandparent status. This is what my Grandma tells me the other day.
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Reading this post from the airport. This time with no kids. I keep looking around and in my bags trying to figure out what I’ve forgotten! When it’s just me, it’s so little stuff!
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Ooh, have a great trip and a good run!
What you’ve probably forgotten is that second book for yourself you’ll be able to get to on the flight BECAUSE YOU WILL ACTUALLY FINISH THE FIRST BOOK. That’s what I forgot last time I flew alone: how quickly you can finish things when you have fewer interruptions.
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You are always so organized! I have learned from this post, even after all the packing in have done. Pinning this for sure!
Also… Book? What is a book? Oh wait it’s one of those things with many pictures and minimum words that we read to our kids, right? Hahah
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Haha – yes that’s what one is. Hope the book you’ve been meaning to get to is “Mog The Cat”. 🙂
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Love everything about this list especially the 6 yr old that can pack his own bag. Home stretch baby! xo
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Well I don’t want to overstate it. He did surprisingly well, in that he got out shorts and shirts without prompting and then I only had to prompt him briefly to add socks and underwear. He also packed a cuddle toy. That was about it, but still!
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It nevr ceases to amuse me to see the inventiveness that drives parents travelling with children. Awesome. 🙂
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Necessity is the mother of it, I’m told. But it’s nice not to have to make it up from scratch every single time.
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You are a superstar Bronwyn. Great advice for those with wee ones. I can barely get packed for myself!
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Oh come on – I know that’s not true. I know you pack EVERYTHING for the whole trip into your cabin baggage (save for the odd bike helmet 🙂 ), which is some ninja-style packing skills.
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It’s one thing to pack for adults who will be on a plane for an eternity but enough gear to keep small children fed, clothed, entertained not to mention toileting needs…my compliment stands. 🙂
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I can’t work out how their stuff takes up so much room sometimes, because they’re little so their stuff should be little?
But there’s SO MUCH OF IT. I can wear an outfit for at least one, if not two days when travelling (depending on weather, etc). A toddler is lucky to get a few hours sometimes.
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You see this is why you are the guru and I bow before you. 🙂
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Sort of awkward for me, having people bow like that. I’d be tempted to leapfrog over.
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This must be the best way because my list would look very similar to yours. 😉
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Glad to have your vote of confidence. You’d no doubt have your stuff together when you fly! Any differences at all you’d suggest?
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I’ll look back at your list when we travel in a few weeks. I did invest in some toddler backpack harnesses, so we’ll see how those work. And entertainment options, will start stockpiling. Oy, not looking forward to the flight…
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The invisible magic dust is definitely not strong enough for twins. It barely works on siblings 🙂 But I’m sure you’ll be fine. You get them to the park and back – can’t be more difficult than that!
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Very nicely put. I’ve had to reduce the list drastically as the kid to adult ratio has increased. I cannot assume that kid hands will be helpful once we reach our destination. In the early days I used to pack a spare top for myself also. Invariably I’d end up with orange juice or baby chuck/food/ & worse on me too. I’ve banned OJ on flights now.
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What do you leave out? Any of the above? Any of the core items or only the optional ones?
That’s a good point about a change of clothes for myself. I’ve definitely had worse on me and I guess so far I’ve just had to rinse it off and tough it out. Not always pleasant, but I survive more or less intact often enough that I waver over the extra stuff to carry. But that would definitely be an optional extra for babies and toddlers – I’ll add that later tonight! Edit: added!
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I would love to know where to find the Invisible magic anti-rivalry / egging each other on dusts for the siblings! I would even take the visible kind! 🙂
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Oh my goodness the visible kind would be even better. At the moment I suspect its ineffectiveness may be dose-related. Perhaps I’m not getting enough on? Hard to tell, since it’s invisible.
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